1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a suction device of a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a suction device of a vacuum cleaner having a rotary brush rotated by a turbine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As widely known, a suction device of a vacuum cleaner forms a suction passage of the vacuum cleaner from a surface to be cleaned to a body of the cleaner as the vacuum cleaner moves along in contact with the surface to be cleaned. Accordingly, dust-laden air is drawn into the cleaner body through the suction port.
Meanwhile, for cleaning a fabric object like carpet, the vacuum cleaner performs more efficient cleaning operations by causing the dust of the surface to be cleaned to float in the air. For this purpose, it has been suggested that the suction device have a rotary brush that scratches or strokes the surface to be cleaned so as to let the dust of the surface float in the air.
Conventional vacuum cleaners generally include in the cleaner body a rotary brush chamber, having a suction port that accommodates the rotary brush, a turbine chamber partitioned off from the rotary brush chamber by a partition and interconnected with the rotary brush chamber via a passage formed in the partition, and a turbine rotatably supported in the turbine chamber to be rotated by the drawn air and which rotatably supports the rotary brush.
FIG. 1 is a partial exploded perspective view showing a typical example of the suction device of the vacuum cleaner, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the suction device of FIG. 1 following assembly.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the conventional suction device of the vacuum cleaner includes a suction device body 10, a rotary brush 20, a turbine 30 and a passage defining member 40.
The suction device body 10 has an upper and a lower casing member 11, 12, which are oppositely connected to each other. Inside of the suction device body 10 is a rotary brush chamber 14 and a turbine chamber 15. The rotary brush chamber 14 also has a suction port 12a (FIG. 2) formed in the lower casing member 12 to interconnect the lower casing member 12 with the rotary brush chamber 14. The rotary brush chamber 14 and the turbine chamber 15 are partitioned off from each other by a wall or partition 16. At about the center of the partition 16, a passage hole 16a is formed to provide fluid communication between the rotary brush chamber 14 and the turbine chamber 15.
The rotary brush 20 is rotatably disposed in the rotary brush chamber 14 of the suction device body 10, and the turbine 30 is rotatably disposed in the turbine chamber 15 of the suction device body 10. The rotary brush 20 and the turbine 30 are connected with each other through a power transmitting means, such as a timing belt 50. As the turbine 30 rotates, the rotary brush 20 rotates accordingly. The turbine 30 is rotated by the air current, which is drawn into the suction device of the vacuum cleaner through the suction port 12a, the rotary brush chamber 14, the passage hole 16a, and the turbine chamber 15, and then through an extension pipe (not shown) that is connected to the turbine chamber 15.
The rate of revolution (RPM) of the turbine 30 varies depending on the shape and speed of the drawn air current, and in order to increase the RPM of the turbine 30, the speed of the air passing through the passage hole 16a is increased.
The passage defining member 40 is mounted within the passage hole 16a for providing a means to accelerate the air current that passes through the passage hole 16a Passage defining member 40 defines a narrower air passage 40a by restricting the air passage at approximately at the lower center of the passage hole 16a. Accordingly, the air is drawn into the turbine chamber 15 from the rotary brush chamber 14 through the air passage 40a at a higher speed, thereby rotating the turbine 30 at a higher speed.
In the conventional suction device of the vacuum cleaner constructed as described above, the passage defining member 40 is mounted on the passage hole 16a of the lower casing member 12, with the upper casing member 11 being coupled to the lower casing member 12 by a plurality of screws. The suction device is also attached to the extension pipe of the vacuum cleaner (not shown).
In operation, the dust-laden air from the surface to be cleaned is drawn into the cleaner body through the suction port 12a, the rotary brush chamber 14, the air passage 40a of the passage defining member 40 and into the turbine chamber 15. At this time, the turbine 30 in the turbine chamber 15 is rotated fast by the air current that passes through the air passage 40a at a high speed, and accordingly, the rotary brush 20 scratches or strokes the surface to be cleaned in rotational movement to dislocate and cause the dust to float in the air.
In the conventional suction device of the vacuum cleaner, in order to increase the RPM of the turbine 30, the passage defining member 40 is disposed within the passage hole 16a that connects the rotary brush chamber 14 and the turbine chamber 15. Accordingly, to receive the air flow from the air passage 40a of the passage defining member 40, the outer circumference of the turbine 30 is maintained below a predetermined distance with respect to the bottom surface of the passage. This causes a problem, as relatively larger particles of the contaminants in the dust-laden air come in between the air passage 40a and the turbine 30, restricting the rotation of the turbine 30. When this happens, a user of the vacuum cleaner has to separate the upper and lower casing members 11, 12 in order to remove the contaminants in between the air passage 40a and the turbine 30, which is very cumbersome and inconvenient. Because the air passage 40a is formed inside the suction device body 10, the user does not have a choice but to disassemble the suction device body 10 to remove the contaminants stuck between the air passage 40a and the turbine 30. As a result, the user is inconvenienced in performing maintenance and repair.